Author: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weichert is a former Congressional staffer and founder of The Weichert Report: World News Done Right. He founded the site to offer an alternative view (usually from a realist perspective) on international events. Brandon is also a contributing editor at American Greatness and a contributor at The American Spectator. His writings have also appeared in Real Clear Politics, Real Clear Policy, and Real Clear Markets. Weichert is often featured on Space News and Quillette. He has also appeared on the BBC World News Hour with Dan Damon, has lent his national security policy analyses to the Seth & Chris Show out of Phoenix, Arizona and has been interviewed by Mark Reardon of The Mark Reardon Show. Brandon also travels the country on behalf of the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C. where he speaks on national security policy, foreign affairs, and technological development. Brandon holds a B.A. in Political Science from DePaul University, he also has an M.A. in Statecraft and National Security Policy from the Institute of World Politics. Brandon also is an Associate Member of New College, Oxford University and is a Fellow at the Eurasian Research and Analysis Institute.

Trump Lost Nothing in Hanoi

Once it becomes clear to Kim that the president is not going to acquiesce to North Korean demands the way that former President Obama gave into Iranian demands in 2015, North Korea will have to reassess. If they refuse and persist in their ambition to acquire a nuclear arsenal, Pyongyang will precipitate a conflict the likes of which Kim and his regime will not survive—and regime survival, at this point, is essential for Kim. In fact, it is likely the desire for regime survival that belies North Korea’s continued quest for nuclear arms. He needs to be made to see that this is not the way to achieve that goal.

The President Has Lost the Space Force Fight

It remains to be seen whether the president’s space policy agenda will pan out. One thing is certain, though: the president failed to achieve his objective of creating a fully independent, robust, and highly capable Space Force. The bureaucracy and the Democrats managed to hem him in. And, it is unlikely that the more ambitious aspects of the president’s space agenda will be enacted in a timely manner — allowing for both the Chinese and the Russians to exploit space for their own strategic ends (and at America’s expense).

Neoconservatism: The Handmaiden of Big Corporations

“Only time will tell whether the Trump reaction to neoconservatism will bear the policy fruits we hope for. At any rate, one thing is clear: Understanding the influence of big corporations on the neoconservative movement is essential if we are to combat it effectively.”

The Kurd In the Punch Bowl

“I have firm faith that the Kurds will one day get their independence. The day for that is not now. The best solution for the benighted Kurds would be to hunker down in their enclaves and lie in wait until their host nations – particularly those in Syria, Iran, and Turkey – become weak and unable to prevent the call for Kurdish independence. President Trump has made the right decision to acquiesce to the brutal autocrats in Turkey on the matter of the Kurds, if only because the United States needs autocratic Turkey to balance against Russia, China, and Iran more than it needs the Kurds at present.”

The Buzzwords and BS of American Foreign Policy

“The democratic globalists were, at best, simply wrong about the threat that Iraq posed (and presented incorrect solutions to that reputed threat) or, at worst, they simply lied and exaggerated about the Iraqi nuclear weapons threat in order to implement their absurd theory for turning the Mideast into the Midwest.”

America Should Not Directly Intervene in Venezuela

“The essential element in this scenario would be American leadership as opposed to direct American military intervention. While this method may take longer and, therefore, prolong human suffering in Venezuela, this is the only viable option. After all, freedom isn’t free, and the United States has had ample evidence over the last several decades that it cannot fight for other peoples’ independence.”

Netanyahu’s Missed Opportunity

“Turkey’s arrival on-scene will likely cause tensions between themselves, Iran, and Russia to escalate, meaning that Russia will be unable to consolidate its newfound position in the region on its own. Russia will need Israel. Therefore, when the opportunity next arises — and this will likely be the last chance before the shooting starts in the region — for Israel to act as the broker between the United States and Russia, it shouldn’t shirk from this strategic opportunity.”

James Mattis Is Not America’s ‘Indispensable Man’

“Much as Mattis’s outlook will be missed — and he should be treated with respect — a president deserves a secretary of defense who actually believes in his agenda, not someone who will resist it.”

Afghanistan: What’s In A Victory?

“Trump must have the courage to cut America’s losses now and focus on empowering individual tribes in limited counterterrorism efforts (counterterrorism being the original reason why the United States invaded Afghanistan to begin with). The fight is against al Qaeda and other terrorists. America’s war is not about trying to nation-build in Afghanistan.”

The Space Force Is No Laughing Matter

“The president’s space force idea is not new—and it should be taken seriously. But because everyone hates Trump in the media, in academia, and in the government, the concept will be marginalized and ultimately abandoned. While the “creatives” in Hollywood give Americans a comedic view of space and of those who would take it seriously, the Chinese people are reinforced in the belief that it is their rightful place to take space and hold it.”